


Lucifer's Birthday Cake

by FleetingLight



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Lucifer (TV) Season/Series 04, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23724085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetingLight/pseuds/FleetingLight
Summary: Lucifer is hurting after Chloe's betrayal and Chloe wants to make things right between them. She goes out of her way to give him thoughtful gifts, but seems like the universe is not cooperating. They have never been good at expressing their emotions for each other, will this time be any different?
Relationships: Chloe Decker & Lucifer Morningstar, Chloe Decker & Trixie Espinoza, Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 14
Kudos: 130





	Lucifer's Birthday Cake

After Lucifer came to know of how Chloe had tried to betray him and send him to Hell, things had been awkward between them. This time it was Chloe who had screwed up when something was going to happen between them and then she didn't know how to handle her emotions. Lucifer, of course, wouldn't know anything about handling emotions and stayed away from her.

It was a Friday evening; Trixie was with Dan and Chloe ensconced herself on the sofa with a mug of hot cocoa after a shower and a small dinner. She switched on the TV and started flipping through channels and her thoughts drifted off to ... who else? Lucifer! It had been happening a lot and seemed to be getting worse every day. Her wandering thoughts brought a small smile to her face, as she thought of her crazy partner and his shenanigans. At those times, he was her Lucifer, not the Devil, the Dark Lord of the Underworld... she randomly remembered the day Lucifer was celebrating his birthday and seemed disappointed that she had to leave his “small” party. She wished she could go back to the simplicity of those days. _Wait, did Lucifer even have a birthday? What was he celebrating then? Coming to Earth from Hell?_ Well, Chloe was glad that this eccentric, pain in the ass partner of her's was there in her life. _What day was that again?_ She looked at the calendar. _Isn't it tomorrow?_ _Is he even celebrating his birthday tomorrow? Was there a party? At least she wasn't invited..._ Chloe started getting that sinking feeling again, when she shook her head and decided to snap out of it. She should get him a gift, she really did miss him, and may be a gift would be a nice way of expressing what she could never say in words.

But what could she get him? Lucifer had everything. She wanted it to be something thoughtful. She had learnt to knit from her grandmother, she could make him a scarf. But she never saw him wear one... Chuck it. A pair of cufflinks customized to some meaningful design? But there was no way she could get them made in a day. Lucifer loved cooking - she could give him a hamper of exotic stuff he could use for cooking - it would probably be too expensive, and her finances were a bit strained at the end of the month... and he probably already had them all. Frustrated, Chloe shook herself of her thoughts and drained the last bit of her cocoa from her mug, liking the warm feeling it left her with. One of the few things which were good when everything else seemed... not so good. She placed the mug on the table and looked at the TV. She hadn't even paid attention and some cooking show was on. The chef on TV was just starting to bake a “Toffee Apple Cake”. “A grand celebration of apple deserts”, he said, “with a soft sponge spiced with ginger and cinnamon, the crunch added by almonds and cashews, drenched in a tangy lemony yet sweet rum syrup”. “There's more”, the chef continued, increasing the pitch of his voice and doing a singsong. “We, theeennnn, layerrrr these delectable slices and fill it with delicious apple flavoured buttercream, and there shall be a cream cheese, white chocolate and Greek yoghurt frosting on top, crowned with, hold your breath - toffee apples, and a toffee web”. The chef grinned. And Chloe thought, “Isn't gluttony one of the sins? That thing is devilish.” _Oh, why did everything remind her of Lucifer nowadays?_ “This is a veritable baking challenge, and not for beginners, but that's what we are here for”, the chef’s voice was all enthusiastic. “ We give you tips and tricks to take down this behemoth challenge. Get ready... to become... a master baker!!!”.

”Wow”, Chloe blew out a breath. And then, she smiled as an idea started forming in her head, and she brought out a notepad and pen to start taking notes.

After attentively watching the chef explain and perform crafty maneuvers with his tools, and describe clever techniques to get it perfect, Chloe finally determined that nothing short of a grandiose gesture would do, for surprising Lucifer on his “birthday”. It was bedtime already, but since tomorrow was going to be an early day with a stakeout planned, she started at night itself, checking her cupboards for ingredients already available and making a list for things that needed to be bought. She did some prepping till she felt her eyelids would hold up no longer. Hopefully the stakeout should be over in the morning, and she should have all afternoon for her baking adventure. Chloe went to sleep, excited and nervous, and she couldn't wait to start baking.

Unfortunately for Chloe, the stakeout continued late into the afternoon, followed by a chase and tussle with the perp, in which Chloe got badly scraped. She hurried back home, making a stop at the grocery store and set to work. 

At about seven in the evening, Chloe stood in her kitchen, amidst a mess that made it appear as if a tornado had torn through the kitchen. The chef on TV made it look so easy. But the cake just had too many components, Chloe wasn't an expert and her body ache due to the scuffle wasn't making anything easier. On top of it she was racing against time, she couldn’t be too late with the gift. All the elements of her cake were _finally_ done. It was the softest sponge ever, but she couldn't make the slices evenly round. The filling was fluffy, exactly like the recipe demanded. It tasted divine. The frosting was smooth and perfect, absolutely ready, and so were the toffee apples. Chloe gave the toffee web a skip, already exhausted by her efforts and not so sure she was doing well. But by sheer force of will, she carried on, this was the last step. She had doused the cake in the rum infused syrup and just had to assemble everything in layers and add the frosting. Easy enough! 

After several minutes of intently working at the final step, Chloe stepped back and appraised her labour of love with satisfaction. _Love? What was she thinking? No, just ... labour. For friendship... may be...or partnership. Labour of friendship. Labour for friendship. Was there some such thing?_ She shook herself. _Later, Chloe! Not now._

All she had to do now was fix the thin dark chocolate wafer, with “Happy Birthday Lucifer” written on it in cursive white chocolate lettering, and it would be complete. She would have to pack this giant cake and take it to Lucifer... _She hadn't thought of it at all. How was she going to take it in one piece to him?_ It stood proudly now, layers of cake, with scrumptious filling, and the glazed and golden toffee apples sitting atop it like a miniature mountain ... but then did Chloe just imagine the slight movement? _Was that an earthquake? No… no... that was nothing._ She turned back to pick up the chocolate wafer and when she turned around, her hand flew to her mouth in horror. It was no longer the tall and proud layered beauty, but was precariously leaning to a side, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Before she could react, right before her panicked eyes, the cake toppled over to a side and collapsed onto the tray she had set it on, some of the toffee apples rolling onto the tray and over onto the kitchen counter.

“Oh no”... she whispered, her enthusiasm and hope toppling over and crashing like the cake just did. _It seemed perfect a few seconds ago? What just happened? May be the layers weren’t evenly cut, or the filling so too much, or the alignment of the slices was wrong?_ Chloe felt like she would sink into the floor and disappear. All her late-night prepping and all her post-stakeout pained efforts, at making a thoughtful birthday gift for Lucifer! Now totally wasted. _Lucifer would never get to see or taste her labour of love._ Chloe rolled her eyes at herself. _She had got to stop thinking that._ She carelessly threw the chocolate wafer she was holding onto the cake, removed her apron and flung it aside and went and slouched down on the sofa. With great difficulty, she reined in the tears that were threatening to spill over. She was a grown woman; she wouldn’t cry over a ruined cake. And yet... there she was, wondering if her relationship with Lucifer was really cursed. After many minutes of sniffling and wallowing in self-pity, she heard her phone ring. 

“Hey Trix, what's up?”

“Daddy just made me the best waffles.”

”Really?” _Waffles for dinner?_

“Yes Mommie, and guess what? Tomorrow I am going to make him the cookies you taught me to make.” 

“That's sweet, monkey...”

“Yes mommie, we will make all kinds of cookies. I will send you photos of me making them.”

“I can't wait, monkey”, Chloe said.

Trixie spoke a little longer and hung up, but the cogs in Chloe’s brain were turning. The day could still be saved. 

It was almost 9:30pm when Chloe was standing in front of Lux, shuffling her feet, nervous to go in. She was wearing a denim skirt which she hadn't worn in a long time, favouring it over her leggings because her legs were bruised below the knee and they still hurt. Same for her arms, so she put on a short sleeved white cotton top with a closed neck, and a pair of sneakers.

“Hey Detective!”

Chloe looked up to see the bouncer hailing her.

“Haven't seen ya in a while!”, he smiled at Chloe and waved her in. Chloe gave a timid smile and entered. Lucifer was nowhere to be seen in the club, so she took the elevator to the penthouse. It was eerily silent. Chloe swallowed. May be this was a bad idea? She felt like she should just turn around and flee. But then she spotted Lucifer on the couch and froze for a moment. She had to do this. She walked slowly towards him.

“Lucifer?”

The man in front of her was a wreck. Empty bottles lay all around, he wore a robe which was askew, his usually perfect hair was a mess and there were dark circles around his eyes. 

“Lucifer, hey!”, Chloe called out again.

Lucifer looked up, trying to focus.

“Detective! Surely I am dreaming.”

“I... ummm.. I just remembered that you celebrated your birthday on this day... “, Chloe started. She gave a little nervous laugh. “I don’t know much about your birthday, but I presume you came to Earth today” ... Lucifer just continued to stare at her curiously.

“So... I got you a gift. I baked some cookies for you... there are different varieties in there… choco chip, dates and almonds, coffee, peanut butter... not sure which ones you would like... so got all of them...”, Chloe realized she was rambling and Lucifer was strangely silent, staring at her out of his dark eyes, with a stony expression on his face. It was unnerving. Chloe felt suffocated and just wanted to escape. 

“I am sorry Lucifer, she blurted out. I just.... I just want things to go back to normal between us. I was stupid... I just wanted to tell you how glad I am to have you in my life. I am glad you decided to come to earth and that you came to work for the LAPD. Please... please forgive me...? This is for you.” Everything came out in a rush, as if the floodgates were opened and her emotions were racing to come out and ravage everything outside. Chloe held out the white and red checked tin box in which she had packed the cookies. Lucifer looked away, stood up and walked away unsteadily to the balcony. 

Chloe's heart was crushed. It was like that day when Lucifer had turned away from her, after she said she was not sure she could accept him. She couldn't take it anymore. Placing the box on the sofa she was next to, she walked out of the penthouse, tears streaming down her face, her vision blurry. She went and plonked down in her car seat, held onto the steering wheel and cried her heart out. She had failed. She had failed to win back Lucifer. Lucifer was gone from her life; he would never come back again. _And it was all her fault. Why did she ever doubt him? Why?_

Lucifer awoke just as dawn broke. His mind felt numb and foggy, and he sat up and remembered bits and pieces of a most ridiculous dream. Something like the detective wishing him on his birthday and asking forgiveness. Dressed in a ridiculously cute denim skirt and white cotton top, looking like a vision! _Nope... definitely a dream. It was impossible for all those impossible things to have happened together._ The detective had left after saying she couldn't accept him and was avoiding him since. She just wouldn't appear out of nowhere and tell him all those wonderful things, like she was happy he was in her life. His dreams were getting more and _bloody_ more real. He scoffed darkly and went straight out of bed towards his bar to get a drink. 

He came back, drink in hand and sat down where he was yesterday, when in the dream, the detective had come avisiting. Taking a sip, he leaned back and let his other hand drop down from the back of the sofa where he had it stretched, when he felt something cold and hard. He looked and ...

_No... what? That box! The detective was holding something just like that in the dream. Was it .... real?_

Lucifer blankly picked the box up and opened it. He gently moved back the tissues bunched on top, to reveal stacks of cookies beneath. _Choco chip, dates and almonds, coffee, peanut butter..._ Chloe's voice rang in his ear. And on the very top, five cookies had been arranged in a row, with bits of colourful sugar candies embedded in the shape of letters on them.

“S O R R Y”

It spelled.

An hour later, Lucifer was standing outside the detective's home, debating whether to just barge in or ring the bell. He was dressed to the nines, all showered and cleaned up, hair perfectly coiffed. He held the box of cookies in his hand. Surely she would be up by this time. The curtains of the windows were pulled back, so yes... she was up and about. Things were not perfectly all right between them, so he decided to ring the bell instead of barging in. No answer. He rang again. Nothing. The detective's car was parked outside, so she was at home. Should he just go in? Lucifer decided to take a peek through the open windows. 

The detective seemed to be sleeping on the sofa, her hand hanging lifelessly on the side. And she wasn't answering the bell. Without a second thought, Lucifer unlocked the door and rushed to her side. He breathed a sigh of relief. There she was, her chest moving up and down rhythmically with her breath. She was sleeping like a log! And then he noticed. She was wearing that adorable outfit which he had dreamt of. Real, not a dream, he thought. And then he noticed the scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs, turning purple, the skin around it still reddish and slightly swollen. He reached out and gently touched her arm around the bruise. “Umpphh”, the detective moved a little, buried her face in the cushions and went back to sleep. After many days, a slow and genuine smile crept up Lucifer's face, as he watched her sleep. 

Lucifer thought of making the detective breakfast, hit suddenly by a wave of nostalgia. Being uncomfortable around Chloe and her home, not treating it as if it was his own territory, made him feel... uncomfortable... not right.

He absently walked towards the kitchen, lost in his own thoughts and as soon as he entered, he wasn't sure that the detective's home hadn't been broken into. The kitchen was wrecked. It would have been broken into, unless the perp was some jerk who ignored the rest of the house and just...

And then he saw the cake!

That magnificent piece of work in all its toppled glory, and the little chocolate wafer, like a banner atop it. The whirlwind of emotions that swept through the ruins of Lucifer's ancient heart, is a story for another day. The whirlwind raged and raged, till Lucifer had to lean against the kitchen counter, eyes wide and staring at that cake, the little toffee apples tumbling down like Heaven was showering it's golden and juiciest fruits on its favourite angels, the beautiful white chocolate letters emblazoning songs of love on the satin of his shattered soul, the melting fillings seeping into all the cracks in his being... soaking his entirety with its sweetness. Like all storms pass, so did Lucifer's, leaving the tender coolness of a fresh dawn in its wake, the kind where buds open shyly like the hope in Lucifer's heart and the dewdrops gently disappear like the shadows in Lucifer's eyes. Lucifer's face shone with light, as he dipped his finger into the cake, unable to resist the temptation before him. Aaaaaaaand.... He moaned. Loudly. Sinfully. Eyes closed, falling apart at the explosion of flavours and textures on his tongue, knees slightly bent, shoulders drooping, and head slightly tilted up in ecstasy. As that glorious magnificent cake was falling apart in front of him.

Chloe woke up with a start at the sound. She sat up, all senses on alert, and walked towards the source of the sound, to see Lucifer, in the aforedescribed state. Her jaw dropped to the floor. She stood there, transfixed, as Lucifer grabbed a fork and dug into the cake, right before her eyes, oblivious to the world, and indulged in Chloe's birthday gift. Right at that moment, the expressions Lucifer was making, and the sounds that came out of him, and the way he was licking the escaped frosting from the fork off his fingers... _should be made illegal_. It was Heaven and Hell and everything in between rolled into one glorious, delightful, angelic devil... or devilish angel.

A slow smile made its way across Chloe's face, a smile of gratitude and relief, as tears filled her eyes. Lucifer suddenly stopped, aware of Chloe's presence, and looked sheepishly at Chloe. “This is absolutely... absolutely... “, Lucifer shook his head, mouth full of cake, pointing at the cake repeatedly with his fork, unable to find words.

Chloe just smiled, lips pressed tightly together and nodded....

Lucifer swallowed the cake he had in his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Chloe’s eyes went to his throat and then to his lips, still smeared with bits of frosting.

It was… too intense. Before Lucifer could say anything inappropriate and ruin the moment,

Chloe said, just to lighten the atmosphere.

“So... _this_ is the way to get you to shut up!”

Lucifer smiled, a soft smile, just for her. 

“You came yesterday. I thought it was a dream.”

“Oh!”, Chloe exclaimed, that explained his strange reaction last night.

“Do you remember?”, Chloe asked, “what I said last night?”, walking closer to where Lucifer was standing.

“Ah, the gist of it, yes”, Lucifer nodded. He continued after a moment. “It does seem quite a rare occurrence, though, that you, the detective, apologize and admit to your mistake. I am not sure I have heard or remember correctly, considering that I was inebriated and thought it was a ridiculous dream I was having. It won't hurt to hear you repeat what you said yesterday, just so that I am clear.” 

Chloe was still so filled with guilt, that Lucifer's humour was lost upon her. She immediately started, “Lucifer, I want you to know that I am so so sorry for how I behaved. I forgot for a moment, the Lucifer I knew, and believed all the trash that Kinley talked me into. I promise to never ever do anything like that again... will you forgive me? Will you.. “ Chloe was staring down at her feet and wringing her hands, nervous and panicky. Lucifer hadn't expected it and came towards Chloe and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“I was hurt, badly.", Lucifer started. "It does seem as though you are genuinely repentant, going by your gestures and actions.”, Chloe looked up at Lucifer with wide eyes. It seemed like he was reading out a judgement. He continued in a dark voice, his expression intense, eyes piercing. “And seeing, as I am the Lord of Hell, and hold the power to punish guilt, I hereby sentence you, Chloe Jane Decker to …” “Ow!”

Chloe had punched him in the arm, finally getting it.

“Detective! I am vulnerable around you, remember?”

“Exactly!”, quipped Chloe.

They both stood staring at each other. Lucifer, almost pouting, and Chloe's lips twitching with a suppressed smile.

“Lucifer... can I… can I hug you?”

And with that, Lucifer pulled Chloe into his arms.

“I'll have you know Detective, that I've forgiven you, if that makes you feel any better”, Lucifer spoke softly as he enveloped Chloe. “It does”, Chloe sniffled into his shirt. They stayed like that for a long moment.

“I want to hear the story of that cake...”, Lucifer slowly pulled back, as he dug the fork into the cake to shovel in another mouthful. 

“You should try the toffee apples too, they came out nicer than I imagined”, Chloe picked up an apple with her fingers and brought it near Lucifer's lips. She realized too late what she was doing. Lucifer, too engrossed in the cake, ducked his head and took the apple, his soft and moist lips gently closing around her fingers, and sweeping across them for a fleeting moment. And then he too realized what had just happened. It wasn't like the salacious gestures he was used too, but filled with so much innocence and intimacy, that he was blown away. The detective, expecting a quip or at least a leer from Lucifer, was taken aback seeing the openness and surprise on his face. Lucifer slowly chewed on the apple and swallowed it, unable to look at Chloe. _This apple was not temptation, but something far more beautiful and sublime, having endured the test of time, the roughness of fear and mistrust, a love which had overcome temptation because it valued the friendship more. Love? Did he just think “love”?_ He had looked utterly adorable at that moment, thoughtfully chewing on the apple. The detective couldn't resist. She tiptoed up and kissed Lucifer, tentatively placing her lips on his. He let her kiss him, astonished by Chloe's move.

But he warmed up soon enough, eagerly returning the kiss. Lucifer tasted of apples and cinnamon, sweet and tangy, creamy and nutty, all at once. They continued to pour their heart out to each other, expressing all that they couldn’t in words.

Things started heating up a bit. Suddenly Chloe yelled, “Ow, ow, ow ,ow”.... Lucifer stiffened immediately. “Sorry, sorry Lucifer, it's just that I got injured chasing down the perp yesterday... nothing too bad... but everything hurts now... I didn't have my partner with me you know... “, Chloe touched below his jaw. “I am glad to have him back. You'll come back, won’t you Lucifer?”

“Of course, Detective!”, Lucifer still looked guilty. Chloe knew Lucifer thought he could have protected her if had been there. She hated that Lucifer should feel bad.

“We could... ummmm... continue this, further, once I get better... “, she said kissing him again. Lucifer lit up like a Christmas tree.

“I can't wait, Detective.... though I could have thought of several _interesting_ ways to put this cake to good use if we had continued now... “, Lucifer waggled his eyebrows.

“Lucifer!”, Chloe giggled and hit his chest.

Lucifer pouted. “What a waste of such delicious cake!!!”


End file.
